


stagnation at twilight

by Deruste_the_Archiever



Series: Lord of Light [4]
Category: Percy Jackson and the Olympians & Related Fandoms - All Media Types, Percy Jackson and the Olympians - Rick Riordan, The Heroes of Olympus - Rick Riordan
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-04-20
Updated: 2018-04-20
Packaged: 2019-04-25 06:47:19
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,536
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14373195
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Deruste_the_Archiever/pseuds/Deruste_the_Archiever
Summary: Elio is faced a much larger world than he ever thought possible. Aegle leads him to his old boss Nacho has a gift waiting for him. Will Elio be able to survive it thought





	stagnation at twilight

The nap was an awful idea, a truly horrid idea. I think I said that I didn't understand dreams since I never got them. I do understand nightmares though. I think it's because imagining something bad happening randomly at night while you slept was easier for me to think about. I didn't get those types of dreams either nonetheless. Until now that is. How to describe it?  I was falling, simple enough to comprehend so far. The sky was multi-colored with tints of the colors that make the rainbow with red and blue being most prominent. Okay getting weirder but not enough not to be able to deal with. There was a face in the sky looking down on me with its features disguise around a field of shadows. Okay, now it's the time to start panicking. The only parts that were visible enough to tell it was a face were the two eyes and Cheshire grin. The eyes were strange in shape, one was as best described as a hollow circle with a small dot in the middle of its, the other was a crescent moon. Both had a silver glow spilling out from them. The Cheshire smile was haunting, it looked unnatural, crooked, broken and false. Like a creature for to smile even when its body is incapable of doing so. It seems the type of smile that would be brimming at the slightest provocation or at times of great sadness. It radiated pure fear and it bore itself into my sight.   
  
“Hello, hello! What a marvelous surprise. What brings you to this side of the multiverse young man?” The face asked earnestly, its smirk growing larger and glowing like the eyes. I began to fall faster through the air and I began stumbling in circles. I stopped after a while and saw the ground that I was falling towards. It was a city, I believe so anyway. The city seems to has collided with three other cities. One part of four cities, colliding in the middle with the different part going in the cardinal directions. To the north was a city that looked like pictures of New York but like the smile on the shadow face, it was distorted. There were three empire state buildings with three different symbols above them.    
  
The one in the middle of both of them was a lightning bolt striking a mountain. It loomed the largest, staggering above the other two like a literal mountain. The other two were even stranger. The one to its left was a version of the building with an ankh and dimming golden light. The last one, with lack of words, was ghostly. It radiates spectral light and I heard wailing come from even given my distance from it.   
  
“Is this the world of your origin? It's quite crowded and this is not even half of them. I get that feeling. To be overlooked. To be forgotten. Say! since you apparently can reach my realm I'll reach you when you sleep again. Our time has run out too fast my good man.” A dark shadowed hand grabs me by the leg and the view of the other cities come into view but no specifics. The south was a like an older version of New York with some additions that make it seem like a 1920's china town. The west side was a steampunk nightmare of old technology and airships flying off. East side was an old looking, European city with a corner of a large fortress over the rest of a quarter circle of a city. This is some sort of metropolises made of smaller cities. “ may you play your role well my young Demigod.” The face said sincerely. “My name is eclipso by the way.”   
  
I shot up from my seat. Sweat beading on my forehead.   
  
“ holy crap what happened to you!” Aegle tended to my side immediately with a hand over my forehand. While it is nice that she is showing a more caring nature now that she revealed herself. It's quite a heel turn from what I remembered from our early days. She would patch me up but she more or less let me lick my own wounds. I earned a lot of scars that way on my back and arms. This could mean many things but two most promptly. She afraid of losing me now to that camp, maybe of me losing my life since they seem to think shooting arrows at me will bring me to their side. The other is that it may be a point of no return now, a threshold there is no returning from. If we continue this there will be great pain. I barely know what all this means but I can gather that much from all that happened. Especially from that baneful nightmare. What did that voice mean by reaching me?   
  
“I'm fine Aegle. Just a nightmare.” Her worry didn't leave.   
  
“We both know you damn well have nightmare or dreams but then...guess your abilities are kicking in.”   
  
“What abilities?”  I looked at her dumbfounded.  
  
“ well …” she held her hands in front of her in a contemplative manner. “ you know that Captain America in those marvel movies? Essentially that. You have the increased attributes of a human. Enchanted strength, intellect, agility. All the basics things humans have. Sometimes they have special powers based on their parent's domain but that's rare.” Kind of generic as far as powers go but I'm not in the position to complain. “ there are also some weaknesses you gain.  
  
“Wait for what?” I replied with an open mouth.  
  
“With all that power there is always a weakness. They don’t have normal dreams for one, usually, it's just a god trying to contact them or threaten them.” Okay, that kind of explains my nightmare. “You also have a weakness to divine metals like celestial bronze.” Oh, come on! I have my own freaking kryptonite. “ that's not here or there, it's time to get you a pet.” Quick to dismiss the fact there is a metal specifically made to kill people like me Aegle got out of the car, slithering into the entrance of a ranch. The ranch was overgrown with shrubs and palm trees with a faded sign that the name “El Rancho Ges Triple”. At the bottom, there was a piece of wood that had a little extra writing on it shabby white paint. “Subsidiario” For you mainlanders out there it means Triple G Ranch: Subsidiary. I got out of the car and followed Aegle snake prints up the hill. She looked out into the coast from the vantage point, a hill on top of six other smaller ones in a steep incline. Not good for a car, so it's probably smart that we left the scrap heap to rest. You were a good soldier scrappy.  
  
“So is Nacho down there or anywhere” I looked around trying to find the actual ranch. It was fairly barren, at least for a ranch. No horses, Cows or any animals. Just more and more plants.  
“He’s past the trees but yes the lack of animals is disconcerting.” As she let lose those last few words the wailing of several animals filled the air.   
  
“Oh come on! settle down already!” A coarse, older man's voice boomed from behind the foliage as a stampede of barn animals from pigs to bulls. They were all running our way nearly killing us in a massive stampede. Aegle and I ran in opposite directions getting to the sides of the rampage. We got a prime seat to what those animals were running from. The ground started to rumble, clouds of green smoke spilled from the forest, the cry of a hunting beast rattled me to my core. It was hard to describe them since I was not expert on mythology but I think I could describe most. Luckily for you and me while some had weird extra parts they were all familiar. A Lot of them were snakes or lizards is my meaning, only bigger, meaner and spikyer. Is that a word? It should be a word.  Some looked like large komodo dragons, the snake-like beasties had a coral snake feel to them as they went past the gates to follow the other animals. When it was over the trail I and Agle were on was trampled to nonexistence. It didn’t stand a chance.  
  
“What the hell Nacho!” Aegle Screamed, coiling herself back up like a spring. Apparently, Nacho decided not to even bother with a disguise. Now the hard, describing him. You ever saw a chihuahua head on a seals body with burly, masculine human arms. Now I have and I wish the lord would take my sight right there and then. I don't think the memory of what he looked like a human can even back to me now. It's just when you see something like that what else can you remember about a person. He was on sort steampunk cart made from a glowing metal. Kind of like the fake legs Aegle had for the car pedals. Instead of wheels, it had legs that ended in spiked feet that traveled on the steep hills like they were regular roads.   
  
“Well excuse me idiota. Why the engineer corp commander was put up in charge of a ranch escapes comprehension. It's like putting Hercules in a music competition while you have Orpheus enter an arm wrestling contest. Why isn't Ramon here?” Nacho barked, quite literally with his chihuahua head and all. He seemed to be only focused on Aegle and drove the bronze contraption right towards her.   
  
“Ramon is practically married to his flock you know this.” She snapped.  
  
“The burro sold all his sheep couple of days ago. He became obsessed with pork for some reason, I think he’s trying to become a butcher.” Nacho said with an exhausted sigh. Ramon, Ramon, where did I know that name?   
  
“Did this Ramon own a farm?” I yelled over their bickering. Nacho turned to face me with his dark beady eyes. After a second they turned large and apologetic with a touch of fear.  
  
“By the lords of Olympus. The day has come, sorry boss but I just a little…” He waved his hands in little circles trailing off for the right words. “Flustered at the moment. Don't worry your beast should be back any moment now.” He stared off into the distance with the look that told me that he probably should have added a maybe to that statement. Wait what did he call me?  
  
“What's with the titles now?” I questioned. He looked at me with confusion and then to Aegle, then to me again. His confusion switch to a not this shit type of face. A twisted, course yet fluffy face only an angry dog can make.  
  
“You didn’t say what he was truly inheriting did you.” Aegle slumped her shoulders in response to his accusation.   
  
“I told him what I needed to tell him if we were to run away.” His face went back to fear.  
  
“Run from what? You said that he was to be brought here not that something was following you. What was following you? A rouge?” Me and Aegle both a chill went up to our spines, probably she’s more than mine given that snake spines make up most of their bodies.   
  
“No trust me I wish it was a rouge monster. We got a code blue trident.” All the fear we had was not affecting Nacho who started shaking and shivering.  
  
“How the hell did he find this place!? We have to move!” He grabbed my hand and pulled on to his contraption where I noticed that he didn't have feet. To be fair I did remember that Nacho was rolled around in a special wheelchair in the forged. It was the excuse he used to teach me the basics of forging and metal working. His “feet” were really flippers or fins that abnormally strong. Aegle also went on top of the machine coiling around me and Nacho. We rode the machine down the brush-covered hill in the steep valley.   
  
“We did manage to get rid of him.” Nacho looked at me with contempt.   
  
“I don't believe you. Scratch that I can't believe you. You beating the most powerful Demigod alive while you don't even know your powers, how the hell is that possible.” I put my fist on my hip cocking it.   
  
“Is his winged horse the most powerful horse alive?” I said sarcastically, trying hard to channel the power of Jim Carry.   
  
“No, wait….no. Unless he was on his half-brother Pegasus.” Another image I need to remove from my head at some point. What is wrong with Poseidon.   
  
“Well it was a Pegasus but yeah, I threw some poison at it and it bucks him off with his girlfriend,” I said proudly as Nacho started to shiver even more.   
  
“Venom,” Aegle interjected, calming Nacho for a second. It didn't last much until it seemed Nacho seemed like he about to explode.   
  
“Oh that's great, that's fan-fucking-tastic!” Oh, that's where I got that saying from. “That's what I needed to hear after the animals turned loose.”  The machine mumbled in tune with Nachos rambling, which means it was screeching. “Let's make it quick. There are some creatures I manage to keep pinned at the stables.”  Sure enough, through the woods and plants, there it was. A small wooden building at the bottom of the hills. There was a barely anything special about the cottage. It just old, decrepit and rotting.   
  
“Who's triple G?” I asked as we got to the entrance of the stables.   
  
“Greyon, was an asshat, is dead now. Moving on.” He said moving his hand over his snout.   
  
“He supplied animals and foods to the army. He died some time ago.” Aegle explained with a pained expression. This Greyon sounds like a total ass. “But yes a man of no honor. Well, a three-bodied giant of no honor but still.” Nacho led us into the stables. The smell of it was ungodly to bear. How could anyone keep animals in this condition astounds me. Trust me I been in proper stables on a good farm, this is far from even being decent. Actual also actually clean them. To keep it not completely smelling like shit but to also keep them healthy. This mess looks barely livable for flies and cockroaches.   
  
“Hey, Nacho why haven't you cleaned this place. The animals look miserable.” They were monsters. Horse with suspicious meat in their teeth, some breathing fire and even some Pegasus like Jackson. They were all miserable, just the unbridled sadness of several horses being in such a literal shithole. I heard the roar of a far-off creature rattle through the stables.   
  
“Disregard that. It's not my job to clean Greyon messes, besides I'm burning this place to the ground when we are done here.” One would usually take this as a joke until they stared into the abyss that was Nachos eyes. I also remembered a time when he said he would burn down his business as soon as he got bored. By the time I have left the forge, the place was nothing a pile of ashes with the official report being an electoral, gas explosion. Nacho doesn't do or say things lightly.  
  
“Kind of a dick move their buddy.”   
  
“You have any idea how many workers I lost and nearly lost because of the smell and upkeep alone, not to mention that beast. I’m going to have a jig on the ashes when I get the chance. Also don’t get off the walker there is a literal mile of shit below us.” Me and Aegle shiver in disgust.  
  
“Ugh, fine what do you got?” I squeamishly said as I take in the fumes.    
  
“Pegasus, fire-breathing and man-eating horses, a Basilisk, an alligator of abnormal size. There is something I wanted to show you first thought.”  The roar echoed again. “Yeah that. Given your brother and sister are Selene and Helios, a horse would be an obvious answer. But I know you and you don't take the obvious and I have something you might have a kinship with.” After minutes of build-up, we got to the end of the stables, a very darkly lit area with barely any other animals nearby. The space this beast occupied was several times larger than the rest of the stables. Enough room to roam and breathe than just standing around.   
  
“Is This the beast that ate your workers,” Aegle said while the tension began to conscript the air.   
  
“What is it? It's not some giant rat or snake right?” Nacho took exception to that.  
  
“Nothing so base this beast is fit to be a crest of a family as mighty as yours. The beast did eat my workers but it just shows the strength it possesses. A creature of eastern poise and western ferocity.” The roar was closer now, piercing my ear like Nails on chalk. Closer, get closer. It calls to us. Now, this shit again. Don't question, just get near it. Show it what is needed. Mercy. “A dragon.” I jumped off the machine into was I hoped was mud. My work uniform has gotten quite torn and dirty over the course of today. Wow, it's only been a day, it's just hit me. I went from wondering how I was going to treat a guest to how to tame a dragon in a single day. Just processing that…….Done processing, now about the dragon.   
  
“Aegle watch my back!” I shouted as I jump the stables in the enclosure. Yes, yes, closer, closer. The beast awakens, your power will feed it and it will help you grow. I have no freaking idea what it means by all that but it helped against Jackson. Maybe being a demigod gives the voice’s purpose. Tater tots, maybe not. Maybe it just has some cases of lucidity. Now it's back to the usual tune. Annoying songs and food. Apple cider. There was a low growl as a mouth in the dark started to smolder with flame.   
  
“Eliodoro don't be an idiot!” Aegle screamed as something in the dark scurried between me and the fence, a blur of silver and gold. It was weird, to say the least, you know how in some movies a dragon looks like a hulking lizard with pointed jagged scales and in others, it's basically a flying serpent. If God made this thing, he must have seen those designs and said: “it must be fabulous.” It was a weird mixture of a macaw, snake and a dragon. It reminded me of something, a statue maybe, a creature from a folktale. Its head was serpent-like but a Mohawk of feathers was spiraling out of it.  The body was like a scale bound horse, on all fours with a large tale. Then there were the wings, again macaw like wings with rainbow colors.   
  
“What the hell kind of dragon is this!” The beast started to circle me after that comment. Its scales were gold and silver, glinting what light it can from the stables. The fire from its mouth the strangest part. Not that it looked weird or anything, it was coming out the mouth of a beast but it looked regular fire all the same. Not even a different color. The dragon starting to get closer and closer to his job opening ever larger. It looked about ready to pounce on me. I think I know why the flames didn't seem weird to me. They seemed comforting for some reason. Like a campfire.   
  
“Nacho how could anyone tame-” Aegle reprimanded while the dragon tackled me to the ground. I looked straight into its amber eyes, Cold and reptile like. It eyed my shoulder with a certain fever and starting lurching like a snake. Bobbing its head before the strike and I'll bet the flames is it prepares the food. Like a spider wrapping the prey in the web. I started to do something a sane person should never do. Listen to the voices in my head and take them seriously. They said that my power will feed it but I don't even know what my power is. How will it help me grow?  
  
“Watch out boss!” The dragon breathed fire downward, spray it directly on my face. I felt the heat of a furnace fill my pores and massive stinging pain. It was the most intense pain I've ever felt. I frantically grabbed the sides of the dragons front legs, but it hardly did anything to stop the pain. I felt it move the length of my arm into my palms, the searing rush of energy filling them with warmth and the beast backed away. I could barely move. The whatever I did took the wind right of me and left me feeling like I ran a mile with dress shoes on.   
  
“Elio!” I heard Aegle scream as I started to drift into unconsciousness. Well, that's what I get for listening to voices. Being roasted alive by a dragon. What a way to go.

**Author's Note:**

> Yes a dragon, I thought about one of those flaming horse spirits from the gods of south wind but this felt more fun. Also hope Nacho is a fun character to read about. As always feel free to comment down below.


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